ASK most Cornish people whether or not Cornwall is a county and if they know its history they will tell you that it’s a whole lot bigger than that.
The men of Cornwall once marched on London in armed revolt, albeit several centuries ago, and nowadays many Cornish people would like to see greater autonomy for their land. Cornwall is also now recognised as a “minority” with its own language and status by the UK Government.
It also has a split nationalist movement and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is not the only national party leader in the UK to worry about the word “national” in its title.
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The Cornish National Party that was founded in 1975 to promote the idea of self-determination for the people of Cornwall has suffered in the past from being linked in people’s minds to the British National Party. After all, the CNP is only one letter away from the BNP.
The party strongly denies any such links on its website, stating “we totally reject violence, extremism, or terrorist activity of any kind”.
Yet it is very much playing second fiddle to the Mebyon Kernow, Sons of Cornwall, aka the Party for Cornwall, which was formed in 1951 and is a member of the European Free Alliance and has links to the Breton Democratic Union, Plaid Cymru in Wales and the SNP.
The party now has four seats on Cornwall Council and its vote has grown steadily if not spectacularly, though not enough to contest Theresa May’s election in June.
Party leader Dick Cole, 49, has been in that job for 20 years, and he has been a councillor for the past eight years. He wrote the book which is seen as the bible of modern Cornish nationalism called Mebyon Kernow and Cornish Nationalism.
He was asked what “Cornish nationalist” means and gave this reply: “To me, the answer is quite simple. Cornwall is a historic entity with its own distinct identity, language and heritage. It is a nation – just like Scotland and Wales. Every person who seeks the greater recognition of the nation of Cornwall or campaigns for self-government for Cornwall or positively promotes Cornish identity, is therefore, by extension, a Cornish nationalist.
“What is important is that our approach to politics is inclusive and outward-looking. I am particularly proud that we campaign for a better deal for all the people of Cornwall and are never afraid to make a stand on global issues with significance far beyond our borders.”
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